Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s, in various countries of the world, there were many scientific research centers that tested individuals for ESP(extra sensory perception). Over the years, many of these places have closed down while others are simply inactive and their room spaces have been converted to other uses. In the event that the study of the paranormal begins to test individuals once again for ESP (psychicism), this article will explain how a typical study center of such paranormalism functions. People claiming to be these type of sensitive’s are tested in a number of ways.
- ESP Cards. These cards resemble playing cards except that each card has a symbol, either a star, a cross, a square, a circle, or a set of wavy lines. The back of these cards are dark so the symbol on the front of the card cannot in anyway bleed through. Both the psychic and tester sit in chairs facing each other at a small table or desk. There is a wall or some other screen that separates the person holding the card from the psychic so only the reader can see these cards.
The psychic tries to tell what image appears on each card that is selected by the other person. Often, the tester is to meditate(visualize) the image on the card and the psychic is to receive their thoughts and tell what the image is.(Mental Telepathy test). The next test is that of Clairvoyance. In this test the psychic attempts to identify the image on the card that the tester has not yet viewed. Therefore no method of visualization or mind reading is involved; eliminating that possibility. This is sometimes referred to as psychic seeing. In both cases the psychic is not permitted to read the cards beforehand, or even to touch the cards. The cards can be shuffled behind the obstructing screen by the operator before the ESP test begins.
The tester writes down all the responses by the psychic with a pen on a pad of paper. After going through the deck of cards, which may be 25 or so in number, the experiment is repeated at least several times to eliminate the possibility of correct guessing based on the law of general probability.
- Dice in a glass tumbler or plastic tumbler. Before the tumbler is rolled, the psychic predicts which number the dice will reveal. The dice are rolled many times randomly to eliminate errors by mechanical repetition. All the responses of the psychic are recorded and compared to the law of averages. The higher the law of averages of correct responses, the greater the seemingly evidence of ESP.
In any case the most challenging aspect for anyone practicing ESP is the accuracy of the results.
